Variable dial for dividing-engines



W. H. BROWN.

Dividing Engine Dial.

No. 14,082.` Y Pfind iany; i5, 1,856.

UNrrnn sTaTns PATENT orricn.,

WM. H. BROWN, OF WVORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

VARIABLE DIAL FOR Specification of Letters Patent No.

To all whom t mag/'concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. BROWN, oflVorcester, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Engines for Dividing Circlesand Lines, which I call a Variable Dial; and I do hereby declare thatthe following is a full, clear, and exact description of theconstruction and operation of the same, reference being had to theannexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure1 is a perspective view. Fig. 2 is a plan. Fig. 3, a vertical section ofthe dial and its attachments, in the direction of the line m, Fig. 2;Fig. 4L is a vertical section through the centers 0, 0, of the toothedwheel C, and g, and the pinion P, showing the shaft y', and a portion ofthe main shaft, S.

The same letters refer to like parts.

A is the frame, having made fast to it a plate of metal B, to which thegearing is attached.

S is the main shaft passing through the plate B, having its bearings inthe frame work, :and bored at'its upper end to receive a mandrel holdingthe work to be operated upon; machinery for cutting teeth or for markingthe divisions can be attached to the top of the frame. Attached to themain shaft near its lower end, and concentric with it, is the maintoothed wheel C.

D is the dial; E, the index, made fast to the upper end of the hollowshaft lz., seen in Fig. 3. This shaft passes through the dial plate,turning freely in it, and has a flange at its lower end forming ashoulder upon which the dial plate rests. It has a hole drilled at z' toreceive a pin projecting upward from the toothed wheel d, causing thesaid wheel to receive the motion of the index, the whole being allowedto turn upon the fixed stud s, and being kept in place by the screw m,at the top. From the wheel d motion is communicated by the intermediatesI and J, to the toothed wheel q, on the shaft j, which has upon itslower end a pinion P gearing into the main wheel C. This shaft is keptin position by the said pinion beneath the plate B, in Which it theshaft turns, and a flange or collar above. This flange has a holedrilled at z' to receive a pin projecting downward from a blankDIVIDING-EN'GINES.

14,082, dated January 15, 1856.

wheel n, which in turn receives another from the toothed wheel g,causing the shaft with its pinion to receive the motion of g, the sameas described in connection with the index. This arrangement admits gearsof various diameters to be used, the intermediate stud M being movablefor their accommodation. A set of changes for the various numbers ofdivisions required to be` made is shown at G, all having their pins andholes of the same size, and at equal distances from their centers. Thedial has a rim rising from its upper surface which is divided into sixequal portions by the notches a a2 a3 made to receive a catch projectingdownward from the handle of the index. Outside this rim are segments c 0of a shorter length than the distance between the notches, and extendingslightly above the rim. They are held and are made to slide in a groovemade for the purpose, and are used to prevent the catch of the indexfrom being received into the notches, when a part of them only arerequired to be used. A piece of metal F, is used to prevent the dialfrom turning when desired, by being made to press upon its outer edge,by means of a screw entering a piece rising from and fixed to the plateB; upon which the edge of the dial rests.

The parts thus far described are the same in their principle andoperation as the ordinary geared cutting engine, in which the variousdivisions are chiefly produced by changes of gears, but which areconfined in their operations to the production of numbers, which, or thefactors of which, are contained as equal divisors in the numbers used inproducing them.

The nature of my improvement consists in causing both the index and dialto rotate at the same time, either in the same or in a contrarydirection, with such relative velocity, that at the completion of arevolution of the main shaft, one point of division in the dial shalloccupy the position which one of the others had at the beginning; orshall resume its own position, having made one or more revolutions inthe mean time, thereby causing a difference in the number of divisionsmade in a circle rotating with the main shaft, from what would have beenmade had the dial been stationary, equal to the number of such points ofdivision in the motion.

dial that pass a i'ixed point during the revolution of the main shaft,less or more according as the dial turns in direction with, or contraryto the index. For this purpose I make use of the toothed wheel H, fixedon the main shaft; the adjustable stud Z for intermediates of variousdiameters, which are used for transmitting motion to the dial plate, insuch proportion as may be desired, teeth being cut in its outer edge forthe purpose; the stud 70 for a second intermediate when required to givethe dial a contrary This stud in the model is adjusted to a wheel ofV 21teeth.

In order to describe the operation, let us suppose the wheel d to have25 teeth; I 36; J 18; g, 40; P 18; and C 90; and that each alternatenotch in the rim of the dial plate, is closed by the segments used forthe purpose, leaving the others to be used making 3 equal division inthe dial. This arrangement, if the dial be stationary will give x gx gx4:4@ of a revolution to the main shaft for each division of the dial,causing 48 divisions to be made in a circle rotating with it; but if thedial is made to communicate with the wheel H, by the intermediates K andL, H having teeth, K 30, L 20, and the dial plate 60, then a revolutionof the main shaft will give to the dial of a revolution,-equal to one ofits divisions, causing thereby-(as by the arrangement, the dial movescontrary to the index,)-48ll divisions to be made instead of 48, as inthe first instance. For supposing the index to coincide with the notch aat the beginning, and is caused to turn in the direction indicated bythe arrow seen in Fig. 2. Now as 16 complete revolutions of the indexare required to cause one of the main shaft, the index will resume thesame position at the close which it had at the commenceinent,-but whenthe index 'has Iliade 16 circuits of the dial, giving 48 divisions, itwill again coincide with the notch a', which will then be near the pointa3, and to completeA the 16 revolutions it must pass over one moredivision of the dial to the point of starting, then occupied by thenotch a5, thus making 48-l-1=49 divisions as before stated. By usinganother intermediate upon the stud Z", to cause the dial turn in thesame direction as the index, the other arrangements being the same, thenat the completion of 16 revolutions of the index, and consequently oneof the main shaft, the notch a3 will coincide with the index, occupyingthe position which a had at the beginning, and the distance between a3and a or one division will be wanting to complete 16 revolutions withrespect to the dial, giving as the number of divisions made, 48-1:47, aprime number, it will be noticed, and not an equal divisor of any of thenumbers used in producing it.

By using the wheel of 20 teeth in the place of K, and one of 40 insteadof L, aV

revolution of the dial will be made in the same time as one of the mainshaft, in which time 3 divisions of the dial will have passed a fixedpoint, giving as the result 48-i-3 and 48 --3 respectively, as thenumbers of divisions made in the work. In any case the result may beexhibited by the following simple formula.V Let n represent the numberofV divisions which would be made with the dial stationary, and d, thenumber of the points of division in the dial, which pass a fixed pointduring a revolution of the main shaft; then if the dial and index turnin the same direction, the number of divisions made, will be 2t-d; ifthey turn in contrary directions, a-l-(Z will represent the numberproduced.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that using the sameintermediates K and L, at least 3 times as many different numbersofdivisions can be made with a given number of changeable gears, as can beproduced with the dial stationary, and by using a few changes on thestud Z the numbers may be increased many fold.

The advantages of my improvement will be made still more apparent by adescription of the manner of producing the various gears required, inconstructing a cutting engine. First having constructed the framework,and cutting apparatus, I divide the periphery of the main wheel asaccurately as possible, by any of the known methods, into a convenientnumber of equal parts,-Say 860,-and cut teeth corresponding to the same;and using this for a dial I then make other gears the numbers of theteeth in which will be aliquot parts of 360. vUsing these on the variousshafts and studs to transmit motion from the index to the main shaft,and from thence to the dial, I am enabled in the manner described tomake Variations to any extent desired.

My improvement is not necessarily con-` fined to engines in whichgearing is used to connect the dial with the main shaft; but may beapplied tothe more common form of engines, in which the dial and mainshaft are united;-by attaching the index or pin, which is usuallystationary, to a toothed segment, concentric with the dial and havingmotion given to it by means of a worm gear or pinion on the mainshaft,-intermediate gearing being used for the purpose,-so that during arevolution ofthe dial the index will pass over a space equal to one ormore of t-he divisions used, making a difference in the work equal tothe number of divisions thus passed over,-the same as before described.It may also be applied to engines for dividing right lines, and as thereare many known methods of producing uniform linear motion from rotary,the application will be obvious without further description.

I do not claim the use of gearing as a same, and for the purpose setforth in the means of transmitting, or varying rotary foregoingspeoioation. motion; but WM H BROWN What I claim as my invention, and`which 5 I desire to secure by Letters Patent is- Causing both the indexand dial to rotate at the same time, by means substantially theWitnesses:

F. Gr. WooDWARD, IvERs Grs.

